SVO registers case against fmr Cong minister in land grab case

Srinagar: The State Vigilance Organisation(SVO) today registered a case against former Congress minister Taj Mohiuddin and four revenue officials in connection with illegal transfer of ownership rights of a piece of forest land to the leader in south Kashmir. Apart from Mohiuddin, the then Sophian Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ramzan Thakur,the then Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Yosuf Zargar, the then Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) Hafizullah Shah and the then Tehsildar Ghulam Hasan Rather have also been named in the FIR which was registered under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Ranbir Panel Code, an SVO spokesperson said here.

The then Tehsildar Shopian had placed 190 cases for vesting of ownership rights to the occupants of state land before a committee chaired by then Deputy Commissioner in June 2007. The committee approved only 17 cases, which also included 10 Kanals 16 Marlas (about 1.27 acres) of land in Estate Sedow under illegal occupation of the Congress leader, the spokesman said. During verification it was revealed that the said land under the illegal occupation of the Congress leader was basically forest land and belongs to forest department.

It was also revealed that the Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) Hafizullah Shah, in August 2007 sought ‘no-objection certificate’ from the forest department but they objected to the vesting of ownership rights in favour of Mohiuddin on forest land, the spokesman said. Despite knowing that the said land belonged to the forest department and in no way can be processed for conferment of ownership rights under the provisions of J&K State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act 2001, the revenue officers concerned instead of rejecting the case, communicated to the forest authorities that the case stands “disposed off” and the objections does not serve any purpose.

“By acting in this manner, Thakur, Zargar, Rather and Shah, misused their official positions by illegally conferring ownership rights upon the beneficiary over the land, the spokesman said, adding a case was registered against them. PTI